Youth
by jazzy2may
Summary: The crew of the Enterprise faces a new crisis: Teenager Chief of Security. Will Reed ever become an Adult again? Will his emotions ever stabilize? Will Tucker live through it all? Humor SLASH T/R -On Hiatus-
1. Chapter 1

StarTrek: Enterprise: Youth  
Written by Jazzy  
Rating: M (mature) Angst, Humor, Drama  
Slash Pairing: Tucker/Reed  
Summary: The crew of the Enterprise faces a new crisis. That of newly made a youth again chief of security, Malcolm Reed. They're about to learn some startling intense truths about their fellow officer and friend. Tucker is about to learn a new meaning to friendship as well, one of obsession, Reed's Obsession with him. :D

PART ONE

He woke up and was still tired, no surprise there, he'd put in a long shift the other night working around the clock to support engineering and repairing the phase cannons and defenses of Enterprise. He stretched felt his bones give a crack, he winced, he must have slept wrong, no matter, breakfast was waiting for him and soon a cup of coffee, tea, orange juice, pancakes with peanut butter would help him to turn his sleepiness into a memory.

He stretched on tiptoes for the medicine cabinet door, feeling it a bit odd, he didn't remember the cabinet being that far up before, usually all he had to do was stretch his arm a little to reach the shaving kit. He looked in the mirror and then frowned a little more, odd, no shadow to shave. He shrugged, then jaunted out of the bathroom dried himself off and was dressed and ready to have breakfast.

He felt amazingly energized for being so sleepy. He felt different somehow but couldn't put a name to it, except maybe, young? Younger feeling, though he didn't recall feeling old, he just was, he felt like himself only, more of something, something he struggled to put a name to.

He looked around the mess in search of a table then finding one bereft of officers he sat down then scarfed down his breakfast in record time. A few officers noticed and stared in shock, Reed never ate like that. Reed could put food away as quickly as any man but he had always been clean and tidy, but now he was eating his breakfast as if he hadn't eaten in a week. Once he was finished he rushed his plates to the cleaners slots, then ran out of the mess to go to the bridge. His clothes seemed a little big, his cuff tripped him he fell into a roll and stood up quickly then bent down to roll up his uniform leg. This was very odd and very vexing. Perhaps a seem had come undone? What shoddy workmanship! He scowled darkly at the vexing pant leg.

One of his officers looked at him with some concern seeing the tumble and rescue.

"Are you alright sir?"

"Edwards?" asked Reed, looking now at the ensign with an even more quizzical frown. He took his hand and measured their heights, Reed had always been an inch or so taller than Edwards, now it seemed Edwards was wearing platforms. Reed frowned. He hadn't thought Edwards was a vain man, you didn't get to a certain age without at least coming to grips with your imperfections and accepting those things, like height differences as just part of life and you have to live with it. He wanted to say something like, "I'm disappointed in you. You shouldn't let such a tiny little thing like height get to you." But then he noticed his sleeve was rather long and again Edwards seemed to have grown another few centimeters. Edwards looked uncertain as well, seeing his commanding officer growing not only shorter but younger as well in front of his eyes.

"Edwards you need to have more confidence in yourself; get rid of the platforms; accept yourself. If you do you wont regret it I promise you that." He lectured in a voice full of sympathy and compassion then ran again to the lift. Muttering at his shoes and clothes and railing in general at the lack of time he had left to make it to his shift on time.

Edwards shook his head. He didn't wear platforms and something weird was going on with his commanding officer. He decided to notify Phlox of the strange occurrence.

Reed arrived on the bridge a few moments later, a few inches shorter and a few more years younger. His clothes were baggy and sleeves and legs cuffs were rolled up to make the uniform fit better. Reed was vexed. How could his clothes be too big? It didn't make any sense. Maybe this was some weird joke Mr. Tucker was playing on him. He glared at the Commander and the bridge crew that were staring at him.

Unbeknownst to him he looked sixteen, possibly even younger.

"Mal, I think you need to go to sickbay." Said Trip finding words first, before the Captain or anyone else could fidn words to address the current situation. It was a gift and a curse that Tucker could talk before his brain could think. Instantly Malcolm Reed was on the defensive.

"Don't be ridiculous!" He protested. "I am perfectly fine. In spite of my clothes; I don't know what could have happened to them sir, but I am still able to do my job."

"Not if you get any shorter you wont be." muttered Trip, again without thinking.

"What!?" Malcolm Reed's temper took a sudden leap towards volcanic eruption. For a man who had just told his junior officer to accept his short comings Reed took his height personally.

"What did you just say to me?" he demanded, his voice almost a hiss. He felt the instant adrenaline rush, his body shook with it. He hadn't felt this kind of sudden rage in a long time. Swift emotion barely in check and building ever more towards out of control. His body was practically shaking with adrenaline rush of it.

Archer quickly took up a place between the two men setting himself as a barrier between Reed and Tucker. He knew that neither man would strike him. One because he was their captain and two because he was their friend. He hoped to get the escalating situation to deescalate and get his security officer to calm down.

"Malcolm, Trip might not have put it very diplomatically, but essentially he is correct. Have you had a chance to look at yourself this morning?" he asked, and then in spite of the situation Archer decided to take a moment and measured with his hand the height difference between them.

Now Reed had never been very tall, 5'8 or 5'9, and Trip was an inch or two taller than Malcolm, and Archer was five inches taller than Reed around 6'1 or so. Now Archer was closer to twelve inches taller, the tips of Reed's hair barely touched his shoulder height and he was shrinking again though not growing any younger it seemed for the moment, thank god for that small mercy.

Reed glared at Archer's offending hand. His hair bristled and his eyes narrowed dangerously. Stormy blue eyes turned to icey gray.

"I'm fine. Why would I want to go to Sickbay? I'm perfectly fine." He insisted stubbronly.

They escorted him, against his will, to sickbay where Phlox ran a scan over him tsking and tutting and chuckling. He seemed quite mad to Reed. Malcolm was not amused, and he was growing ever more uncomfortable and more outraged with every passing moment. Archer and Tucker were anxious and had grown more so with every death glare aimed their way from the ferocious adolescent, teenage, Reed.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**PART TWO**

A week later:

He looked like something out of Underworld, black leather, cool blue eyes lined in black, his face was young and he sneered easily. He was not Lieutenant Reed anymore. He was Malcolm Reed, rebel, angry, youth.

His mood swings were killer. Trip though seemed to affect him in a positive way, so more often it was Trip who basically babysat his best friend.

Malcolm had tried to make a move on Hoshi which the Captain didn't appreciate. Being an authority figure Malcolm took the Captain's chastisement as a challenge. Hoshi stepped in as she figured Malcolm was about to thrash the Captain as only a brash youth could. It wouldn't have been pretty. She was pretty sure Archer could defeat Reed but Malcolm's speed seemed to have grown as for his fighting ability she was pretty sure Malcolm was more of a street fighter at this time in his youth rather than the controlled power of his maturity. Malcolm had taken Hoshi's rejection in stride if sudden devastation could be called taking things in stride.

Reed was morose and hid in his quarters for days barely eating anything at all then suddenly his mood changed and he now had a new target for his attentions.

Cat and Mouse.

Trip felt like the mouse while Malcolm was the cat.

Mal practically radiated sex appeal. Trip felt the effect like everyone else and he had to do a double take more than once when he looked at his friend.

Malcolm saw Tucker sitting alone in the mess hall, he smiled, smirked, smiled something caught in the middle of the two expressions, but his eyes shown with warmth. He gracefully made his way to Tucker's side, pretending that his heart didn't tremble at the mere presence of the commander. His palms sweated and he quickly put them in his pockets then he sat down more like sprawled in a sexy manner next to Tucker.

His sprawl changed and he slid his seat even closer to Tucker's so he could if he felt the urge put an arm around Tucker or rest his head on his infatuation's shoulder. Or just breathe Tucker in. Trip smelled of machinery, cologne, and manliness.

It was a heady smell, enticing, thrilling, arousing. He almost moaned but covered it quickly with a sip of hot cocoa. "Hmm, delish."

Tucker gave him the look of suspicion. Reed gave Tucker his best "hurt innocent, why do you suspect me of doing something sneaky?" look

"Hot chocolate Mal?"

"Oh yes! I felt like drinking something different today. How are you Commander?"

"Well, you know, work, work, work." Said Trip rather pained, a weak grin of nervousness on his face.

Malcolm chuckled then frowned. "No, actually I wouldn't know. No one is letting me into the armory or into my own office." His mood was rapidly deteriorating. "I'm bored and have nothing else to do." He sulked, well pouted really.

A very sexy pout, which had Trip crossing his ankles under the table, Mal was definitely affecting him in very odd ways.

"Mal, you know why that is."

"Poor impulse control. Still it would have been fun watching those asteroids blow up, don't you think?" Then he muttered darkly. "Or that stupid ship."

"No, no it would not have been fun." Insisted Trip, displeased, "And you know we need those weapons at full capacity Mal, just in case of alien attack."

"Still, it would have been fun." He muttered lowly so Tucker couldn't hear him

Trip scowled. He suspected what Malcolm was mumbling to himself about.

"Oh, yeah, sure it would have been fun, starting a war, getting attacked and then being without weapons enough to defend ourselves, sure that would be fun." Snapped Tucker, peeved.

Malcolm stood up in shock spilling his cocoa all over the table. He hadn't expected Trip to verbally attack him. It felt worse than when Hoshi had rejected him. He felt tears sting his eyes.

He managed just barely to throw out an insult in Trip's direction before turning around and running for the safety of his quarters where he could cry his heart out in private.

"You're a mean jerk!" echoed in Tucker's ears like a good slap across the face. Lucky for him Malcolm refrained from full on profanity. He still couldn't decide what had been the worse shock to his system, Malcolm trying to plant one on him or Mal lambasting him with a long diatribe all in hair-raising curses, imaginative profanity, but scary.

Mal had never been that foul mouthed before. And why didn't Mal ever make a mention that he was interested in guys as well as girls? That was a shock.

"Well at least I'm not a maniac." He growled then mopped up the mess Mal had left behind in his wake. Feeling oddly defeated in some way.

Poor Mal he's having a hard time of it and I'm just adding to it. If only he'd stop chasing me. I feel like a cornered rabbit half the time now days.

The crew were giving him looks mingled of disapproval and pity. You never knew just when or how Malcolm would react to some things now days. You had to walk on eggshells around the teenager.

He gives off a good show but Malcolm's confidence is a shallow façade beneath that was a deeper layer of insecurities and pain, lots of it. Trip had seen glimpses of it when Reed had been a mature shut off adult but now as a teenager Malcolm was not in control of himself or his actions.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**PART THREE**

Days Later...

"Did you get a chance to speak with his parents yet, John?"

Archer looked a little uncomfortable.

"Ah, it's like that, eh, damn, as warm and friendly as can be as last time huh? Hell, they make Malcolm seem positively chipper, well before he was turned into an angst riddled teenager." Grinned Commander Tucker.

Archer sighed. "Yes, they do, however in this case when I told them about the, uh, situation," Here John fidgeted some more. "Um, well, it seemed the Reeds went well, I guess red-alert would be the proper analogy."

Tucker's smile turned into a frown. "What do you mean?" he asked amusement for the moment banished by his Captain's demeanor.

"I mean full panic melt down, Trip. Mary Reed dove for cover, her form worthy of any security officer on board our ship, and then she came up out of cover with a fire extinguisher in hand and a gas mask on her face."

"You're joking me."

"I kid you not. It seems that our security officer while in his youth was quite the wild child. He loved explosions (still does) he did a lot of science projects, mainly demolitions of course. But worse still was his emotional instability."

Trip's jaw dropped. "What? You can't be serious, Mal, instable? He's the most button down, rational, logical human being next to a Vulcan a human can be."

"Well, that in itself says something about the man, Trip. He so controlled, You ever wondered why? I know I did but I was too afraid to ask. Its healthy to have some fear when you think about your security officer. If you couldn't fear him than what kind of security officer would he be? Not an effective one for sure. But what I've recently learned Trip, well, I don't know how to respond to it. How to go about containing it and keeping the crew safe from Malcolm."

"Malcolm could never hurt this crew John."

"When he was an adult and fully in his faculties, yes, I could trust that but what I've just learned from his parents has me very concerned for this ship and for my crew. From what I understand of what his father explained, you never knew when he was going to be nice or bad. He had a dark period that lasted for four years. His father won't go into very much detail, or even discuss it at length. He says they won't take him back. If we have to bring him back to Earth then its to the care of the Camp for Troubled Teens he'll be sent. They can't handle it again. They're too old, not that they could handle it before but at least they had been younger. Troubled, insane, rebellious, dark eye liner, leather, punk rock, worship of chaos and destruction, more black leather, even a dog collar with spikes around his throat. He was hard core."

"And that's something to protect the crew from?" asked Trip, scoffing. "He was a Goth. No big deal."

"Trip, he put their house on fire nine times. He had fits of fury that could become extremely violent and destructive. He beat a man near to death twice. He was homicidal rage incarnate for a long time.

"Not Mal, come on John, he's so placid, all right maybe not placid serene, okay maybe not always serene, he's impish, he's funny, and he has a temper, we argue and get up into each other's faces but really, Mal, homicidal rage? I don't see it."

"Mary Reed told me he gets obsessed. He has infatuations and when they don't work out he gets suicidal and murderous."

"Oh, come on John!" said Trip continuing to scoff. "Mal's not like that. He's stable."

"Not any more he's not." insisted John. "He as danger to the crew and to himself. I have no choice but to do as my conscience dictates. He's under house arrest until we can find a cure for him."

Trip tried to protest but John put in his "I'm the Captain and you will do as I say" expression and tone cutting Trip off before he could even begin to argue.

"This is so unfair." he growled and stomped out of the Captain's ready room.

TBC

Apologies for the short chapter. J

Do not know when I will have chapter four up, hopefully soon. J


End file.
